


tell me a secret

by wearing_tearing



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Canon Divergent, Community: trope_bingo, Episode: s01e06 Rory's Birthday Parties, Gen, Magic, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29132541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearing_tearing/pseuds/wearing_tearing
Summary: “What do you think of your life so far?"“I think it’s pretty great, aside from the confusion.”“Then, kiddo, prepare yourself. I’m about to make it better.”
Relationships: Emily Gilmore & Lorelai Gilmore, Emily Gilmore & Rory Gilmore, Lorelai Gilmore & Rory Gilmore
Kudos: 11
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Sixteen





	tell me a secret

**Author's Note:**

> [trope_bingo](https://trope-bingo.dreamwidth.org/) fill for my "AU: Magic" square! very light **spoilers** for Episode: s01e06 Rory's Birthday Parties.

“How was shopping with grandma?” Rory asks her mom. Her mom’s face is doing this weird thing that looks almost like a smile, but that’s impossible. There’s no way her mom would look _happy_ after spending an afternoon with Emily Gilmore.

“It started out rough,” Lorelai starts and lifts up a finger, “but! Things took a turn for the better when your grandmother decided to listen to me and abandoned her idea of buying you a very expensive and useless fountain pen for your birthday.”

“Ah.” Rory nods and leans forward with a smile. “What did she get me?”

“Ha! I’m not telling you. But I think it’s something you’ll really like.”

Rory’s smile turns into something softer. This is the first time she’s seen her mom look like this when it comes to something that involves her grandma. It makes her believe the miracle she wished for when she was seven — that her mom and grandma would get along better — is finally coming true.

“Yeah? That’s great.”

“It is.” Lorelai agrees. “Are you ready for your birthday party?”

Rory tries to ignore the rush of nerves that run through her at the thought. “Sure,” she says instead. “More than ready.”

**

Rory is sleeping, actually.

It is what she always does at 4:03am because she is a regular person with a regular sleeping schedule and regular people who get 8 hours of sleep every night are _in bed_ when it’s 4:03am.

Her mom, of course, did not get the memo.

Not on October 8th, 2000.

“Happy birthday, little girl,” Lorelai whispers after pressing a kiss to Rory’s cheek. 

Rory turns around in bed and catches hold of her mom’s arm. “Mom?”

Lorelai smiles at her, big and bright, but instead of climbing into bed like she always does the night of Rory’s birthday, she tugs at Rory’s arm to make her get up.

“Come on.”

Rory frowns and sits up in bed. “Where are we going?”

“Outside,” Lorelai answers, pushing away the covers and tugging on Rory’s arm again. “You’re grandmother will disown me if we’re late.”

“You disowned yourself,” Rory mumbles and then almost trips when she gets out of bed. “Wait. Grandma?”

“Yes, the one and only Emily Gilmore.” Lorelai makes sure Rory puts on her slippers and then stops to stare at her. She grabs Rory’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “It’s crazy how fast you’re growing up.”

Rory blinks at her mom. “I have no idea what’s going on right now.”

“That’s what makes it so fun.” Lorelai laughs. “What do you think of your life so far?”

“I think it’s pretty great, aside from the confusion.”

“Then, kiddo, prepare yourself. I’m about to make it better.”

“By dragging me outside in the middle of the night?” Rory asks, but lets herself be led through the house anyway.

Lorelai looks back at her from over her shoulder, eyes glinting. “By telling you a secret.”

“Outside in the middle of the night?”

“You have no sense of adventure,” Lorelai laments. “I’ll have you know, this is all very exciting and you should appreciate it more.”

“I should?” Rory wonders. She finds it very difficult to appreciate anything when they’re now standing in the backyard, in their pajamas, while grandma waits for them a few steps away.

“Yes. It’s not every day a girl finds out she’s a witch.”

**

“I can’t believe this!” Rory paces around the yard. “Do you seriously expect me to accept I’m a _witch_? Just like that?”

“I told you,” Emily sighs and side-eyes Lorelai, “you should have told her sooner.”

“I wanted her to have a regular childhood,” Lorelai defends herself.

Emily scoffs. “There was nothing regular about the way you two lived.”

“Mother—”

“A _witch_?” Rory interrupts them. “Like Sabrina?”

Lorelai tilts her head to the side. “Sure, we can go with that if it makes you feel better.”

“ _Mom!_ ”

“We have magic!” Lorelai pulls her into a hug. “Surprise! We don’t have a talking cat, though.”

“Talking cats don’t exist,” Emily pipes up. “My grandmother did have a talking hand mirror, though.”

Rory turns to her mother with wide eyes. “Did I have a stroke? Am I dead?”

“You’re very much alive, kiddo.” Lorelai squeezes her shoulders. “Here, watch this.”

Rory stares as her mom lets go of her so she can raise a hand in between them. Her mom murmurs something under her breath, a bit too low for Rory to hear, and a glowing spark starts gathering at the palm of her hand.

“Oh my god,” Rory breathes out. “Oh my _god_.”

“See?” Lorelai grins at her and wiggles her fingers, the sparking disappearing. “We’re witches.”

“And so our ancestors have been, for centuries,” Emily adds. “I would have liked to bring you into the fold before your sixteenth birthday, but your mother worked very hard to keep this from you.”

“As was my right to raise my daughter as I saw fit,” Lorelai throws back.

“What kind of magic can we do?” Rory asks, mind reeling. “Can we curse people? Can we fly? Is this why we can eat so much without getting sick?”

“We will teach you,” Lorelai promises. “And no, no, yes.”

“Teach me?” Rory prompts as she looks from her mom to her grandma and back again.

“Friday night dinners will be a bit different starting next week,” Emily informs her. “You have a lot of catching up to do.”

“And I can teach you all my tricks,” Lorelai promises. “What do you think?”

Rory thinks she needs to write a list. She needs to do research. She needs to sit down and sort through her feelings and ask _a lot of questions_. But, right now, with her mom smiling at her and her grandma looking expectant, well…

All Rory can say is, “ _Yes_.”

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://wearing-tearing.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/wearing_tearing) | [dreamwidth](https://wearing-tearing.dreamwidth.org/)


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